


fealty

by venndaai



Category: Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Loyalty, Yuletide Treat, not sitting on chairs properly is gay culture even in space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-15 20:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13038492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venndaai/pseuds/venndaai
Summary: A small scene post Raven Stratagem.





	fealty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [astrokath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrokath/gifts).



“I can’t be Hexarch,” Brezan said, fighting to keep his voice level, already feeling like a whining brat and getting angry over it. “Ash and fire, I’d never commanded anything outside of training exercises before a year ago. And, come on, I’m sitting next to the most senior general the Kel have ever had-”

“It really can’t be me,” Cheris said, “for reasons that will be obvious once you calm down and finally use your head.” She looked infuriatingly calm herself, sitting oddly on an absurdly large and luxurious armchair, body twisted and right leg bent so one foot rested on one of the arms of the chair, the other leg swinging freely. She was looking at the ceiling, not at him. He wished for the millionth time that he knew what the hell was going on inside her head. 

“I have no experience,” he repeated, in the vain hopes that repeating the simple fact would make things better. She’d gone through formation training, why couldn’t she sit properly in a chair? He could feel his own spine straighten just looking at her, although to be fair he was sitting at a desk. His desk, in his new office, in the high security section of the administrative ward of the Fortress of Open Doors, which was the current (temporary?) headquarters of Kel Command by virtue of being the most central Nexus fortress and one that had always had a large Kel presence. 

“So you’ve had power thrust upon you,” Cheris said, simultaneously dismissive and serious, somehow. “Learn on the job. That’s what everyone who comes to power in times of crisis has to do. No one in the galaxy is an expert on rebuilding an empire, not even me.”

The grid chimed at Brezan. He glanced at the nearest readout. General Khiruev was outside his door. He let her in, without telling Cheris who it was, and had to hold back a smile of annoyed amusement when she saw Khiruev and immediately swung her legs down off the arm of the chair. He still didn’t know whether it was good or bad that Cheris felt more relaxed around him than around almost anyone else- anyone human, that was. 

“Sir,” Khiruev said, bowing deeply to Brezan, and he felt his teeth grind a little. He couldn’t get used to her bows. She was so damn elegant about it, too, a distinguished figure in her gold and black dress uniform, still too thin, with the balance and grace that came with age. He saw her and still immediately wanted to beg her to take all his responsibilities from him- but he knew that would be crueler than all the cruelties he and Cheris had inflicted on her up until now combined. 

A servitor was clicking along by Khiruev’s feet. It was the birdform who had become her particular friend. There was something different about it, Brezan thought, and squinted until his eyes resolved the picture and he saw that it glinted with decorative rings and bangles that hadn’t been there last week. Had Khiruev taken up jewelry-making in her spare time?    

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything vital,” Khiruev said, glancing between them. 

“Just the usual arguments,” Cheris said, and smiled at Khiruev, a bit of uncertainty in her face. Brezan wanted to roll his eyes, or maybe threaten Cheris into backing off of his General, or possibly even challenge Cheris to a duel for Khiruev’s honor. Instead he sighed. 

“She won’t take over,” he said, “so I guess I’m stuck going through with this after all. If either of you want to hit me or insult me, do it now before they put that cape on me and it becomes treason.”

Instead of doing either, Khiruev sank to the thickly carpeted floor, into the kneeling pose that Brezan had never seen performed outside of entertainments but could instantly recognize. He swallowed. You couldn’t wait until tomorrow? he wanted to ask. You’re just going to have to do this over again. But his throat was too thick. 

“I want you to know, sir, that I’m with you,” his former commander said softly, head bowed. “I am at your disposal until the end.”

“I know,” he said. “You have nothing to prove, you never have.”

“It’s different now, though,” she told him patiently. “For the first time in my life, sir, I feel sure that I’m loyal not simply because I was programmed to be, or because I desperately need someone to be loyal to- I’ll follow you because I know you deserve to be followed. I’m your gun.” She raised her head, and smiled. “It’s a good feeling, sir.”

Brezan reached and took her hands, glove against glove. “I appreciate it,” he said. I’d be crying now, he thought, if I was a person who cried. “But please, sit down?”

“I haven’t been an invalid in some time,” Khiruev said, but she did take a seat, on the cushion next to the chair. The bird-form settled down beside her with a clicking of gears. 

Cheris began to shift, and Brezan said to her, “Don’t you dare.” 

“I’ve said those words to three people in my life,” Cheris said, something dark in her eyes, “and they were all monsters. You’d deny me the chance to swear fealty to an actual decent human being for once?”

Brezan’s heart contracted painfully, but he was determined to stand his ground. “You’re half fox,” he said. “What’s the old joke? The only thing worse than a Shuos in front of you is a Shuos behind you? Besides, I expect you’ll be more effective as an independent agent, for now.” 

“You may be right, at that,” she conceded. “Still, I think it’s good for Khiruev to do it here in private as well as in public. Your most valuable resource is going to be people you can trust with your life.”

“There was a time I would have put any Kel in that category,” Brezan said. 

“Do you want to go back to it?” Khiruev asked, eyes wry. The birdform flashed lights down its spine in some verbalization Brezan couldn’t understand, and Khiruev smiled at it. Brezan remembered being a lieutenant and receiving that smile as a reward for a humorous observation, remembered how warm and welcomed it had made him feel. He remembered, with a sudden chill, that they’d nearly lost that smile forever. His mind refused to imagine facing the coming months without her by his side.

“I suppose not,” Brezan said. 

“My advice is to keep Inessor fighting off the Hafn and all the scavengers trying to take a bite out of us,” Cheris said. “It’s what she knows, is comfortable with, and is very good at, and it’ll keep her too busy to cause trouble. For subduing internal disorder, use… Marish, definitely, and Ragath.”

“Subduing internal disorder,” Brezan repeated. “Euphemisms aren’t like you.”

“That’s why you need to pick your generals carefully,” Cheris said, “and only pick the ones you know care about civilian casualties.”

“Ah,” Brezan said. “The ones who aren’t like Shuos Jedao, then.”

The birdform whistled. Brezan blinked. 

“It said ‘stop fighting’,” Khiruev and Cheris choroused simultaneously, and then, to Brezan’s embarrassment, both blushed. 

“Fire and ash,” Brezan said. “Well, we’ll probably all be dead in a year, but until then, I’ll try my best at this.” 

“That’s the spirit,” Cheris said, and smiled Jedao’s tilted smile at him.


End file.
